Cracked Rear View

Hootie & The Blowfish

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 5, 1994)
• Original Release Date: July 5, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002IZC
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,760 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Cracked Rear View marks the commercial debut of these college buddies from South Carolina, and it sold an astonishing 13 million copies in its first year of release. With Darius Rucker's ringing baritone and Mark Bryan's muscular guitar framing Jim Sonefeld's bluesy, energetic southern folk rock tunes, it's easy to understand its success: It's the kind of thoroughly likable album people sing along with on the car radio. When Rucker demands, "Stand up and let me see you smile," there's something that feels real and convincing behind it; sure, it's a formula, but a sincere one, and it works over and over again. Songs like "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," and "Running from an Angel" lay down the rhythm for a cohesive, feel-good collection. There may not be a lot of virtuosity behind it, but there's plenty of fun. --Barrie Trinkle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I CAN NO LONGER FRONT..., June 28, 2002

By A Customer

It's strange how a band can be the hugest act in America and the most hated all at the same time.This strange pop paradox fits Hootie & The Blowfish like a glove.

Down-home South Carolina boys playing unoffensive,very enjoyable,heartland style rock.Hootie offered an alternative to the morose,moody stylings of grunge in the world of rock/pop in
the mid '90s and turned out to have one of the best-selling albums in US history with this 1994 debut,"Cracked Rear View".

Now I know that it's "against the rules" for a credible music
fan to display love towards a unabashed mainstream pop act but
I happened to like Hootie's brand of feel-good frat boy rock!:-)
"Time",the lovelorn hit "Let Her Cry","I Only Want To Be With You",and the criminally overplayed "Hold My Hand"-all down-home,
Americana-styled pop/rock songs that are as easy and cozy as a Southern breeze.

Those who bash Hootie seem to be missing the point.They never seemed to proclaim themselves as intellectual rockers

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh if you want, but this is actually good, March 1, 2003

By	rockthebells (Jacksonville) - See all my reviews

Over the last several years, it seems that people make fun of those who still like Hootie & the Blowfish. No matter what they say, this album is still a classic. The massive amount of hits ("Hold My Hand," "Let Her Cry," "Only Wanna Be With You," and "Time")are great, but the lesser-known songs are even better. "Hannah Jane" and "Running from an Angel" are awesome, while the albums final two tracks, "Not Even the Trees" and "Goodbye" are probably the best songs the band has ever put out. The weaker material ("I'm Goin' Home," "Drowning") is pretty good, but the excellence of the rest of the songs makes the few decent ones forgivable. The album as a whole flows well and, while not groundbreaking or complex, it's still a really good album.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an amazing album...., March 6, 2000

By	"kmanda" (This Friendly World) - See all my reviews

A couple of days ago I was watching a television program where Hootie and the Blowfish were compared to REM. REM being one of my favorite bands, I thought, "Well, maybe I should look into Hootie." That is when it hit me! A gift someone had given a couple of years ago, "Cracked Rear View". While blowing the dust off of the CD and taking "Automatic for the People" out of my CD player, I looked at the track listing and realized I had heard less then half of them. So I set my stereo to shuffle and the first thing I hear is the inspirational bonus track, "Motherless Child." I was truly amazed! So once he had blown me away with some of the tracks that I heard with the shuffle function, I flipped to the only track I hadn't heard yet, a song called "Not Even the Trees". I really had no idea what to expect- but i realized after the song had started that I had saved the best for last! The one recurring thought I had through the whole album was how much Darious Rucker's guitar sounded like the guitar in "Walkaways" off "Recovering the Satellites" by the Counting Crows. I guess if I had to say "If you like Hootie, you will love..." I would finish that sentance with the Counting Crows and REM. This is a truly amazing debut!